STEMC

Snow and ice storms are an inevitable part of the winter season. However, they can lead to downed power lines and outages. Remember the following tips to stay safe and warm should you find yourself in the dark after a severe winter event:

• Never touch a fallen power line, and assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged. Call Southwest Tennessee Electric at 888-440-1990 to report it immediately. Avoid contact with overhead lines during cleanup and other activities.
• In the event of an outage, an alternate heating source—such as a fireplace, propane space heater, or wood stove—may be used. Extreme caution should be taken.
• Plan to stay in an area of the home where the alternate heat source is located.
• Fuel- and wood-burning heating sources should be vented. Be sure to follow  manufacturer’s directions.
• Make sure carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are working properly.
• Do not use a gas-powered oven for heating. A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Do not use a gas or charcoal grill inside the home. Do not use charcoal briquettes in the fireplace.
• If you use a portable generator to power a heating source, be sure the generator is located outside your house for proper ventilation. Do not use a generator in an attached garage. Follow manufacturer’s directions for operating the generator.
• Never connect generators to power lines. The reverse flow of electricity can electrocute an unsuspecting utility worker.­

Ideally, your family will stay warm until the power comes back on. But keep an eye on family members for signs of hypothermia, which include shivering, drowsiness, and mental and physical slowness. The elderly and young children are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia. Call 911 immediately if you notice these symptoms. At least one telephone in the house that does not depend on electricity should be available in the case of a power outage.

Delana O’Neal talks to a member in the Henderson office.

A new phone system installed recently is designed to improve service to STEMC members.

The new system allows members to dial an extension to reach the person they wish to speak with and allows calls to be transferred from one office to another.

Members may report an outage or check a FLEXPAY balance without waiting for an available member service representative, but callers also have the option of speaking with a local representative at any time by pressing 4.

Billy Gordon has been named Vice President of Engineering.

Southwest Tennessee Electric recently named Billy Gordon as Vice President of Engineering.

Gordon began working in the public power industry while an engineering student through the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He held an engineering co-op position at Jackson Energy Authority and was a student engineer with Knoxville Utilities Board.

Following graduation he worked with Jackson Energy Authority as an Electric Project Engineer.

Gordon holds a Masters in Engineering from the University of Tennessee and a professional engineers license.
He and his family live in Jackson.

In his role as Vice President of Engineering, Gordon will oversee the engineering, information technology and dispatch departments.

“We are glad to have someone with Billy’s education and experience in public power,” says Kevin Murphy, president. “He will be a valuable asset as we prepare our co-op to meet the energy needs of tomorrow.

This is our first attempt to post a directory of our employees on line. We hope this helps you put a face with our names as we serve you. (you may have to cut and paste into your browser)

http://stemconline.com/about/leadership-2/corporate-employee-directory/

Following a lot of hardwork by STEMC staff, the South Jackson Substation was returned to serivce on Friday, December 2. This returns our power system in this area to a normal condition for the first time since the fire on September 1. During this time we have used alternate feeds for service and now this allows us to have a back-up source of power for the South Madison County area in case of an emergency.